My name is Eldorn, and I’m from the northern tribes. I was brought to the capital in a cage—like a beast being led out for display. They prepared me for fights in the arena to entertain the crowds thirsting for spectacle. The stands are packed; the empire’s people expected “the Northern savage” to fall beneath their deafening roar. For me, everything had already been decided—the sentence was handed down in advance. That’s what they thought.
But when the “barbarian” stepped onto the arena sand, the story went down a completely different path…